PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The manhunt for the gunman who opened fire inside Brown University’s engineering building continues into its sixth day on Thursday, and investigators say they are now looking to speak with an individual who came into close contact with the person of interest before and after the deadly mass shooting.
Providence police believe this individual could provide critical information about the suspect’s movements in the hours surrounding the attack. Detectives are still working to determine whether the gunman had any connection to Brown University.
Authorities are urging residents who live in a wide swath of the city to double-check their cameras for any trace of clues, no matter how small, including the areas south of Waterman Street between Thayer Street and Gano Street and north of Wickenden Street.
On Wednesday, investigators released an “areas of focus” map showing three zones. They say the map charts the movements of the person of interest both immediately before and after the shooting that killed two students and wounded nine others.
- Blue – Areas where residents are urged to check security cameras.
- Green – Where the person of interest was seen before the shooting inside the Barus and Holley engineering building around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
- Red – Streets that authorities have video footage from that show the person of interest immediately after the shooting.
“We’re looking for a moment that takes almost less than a second, and if you miss it, you’re missing something that could be critical and important for us to use,” Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said. "I believe that this is probably the most intense investigation going on right now in this nation."
Perez also noted that investigators have collected a lot of crime scene evidence and that student witnesses’ accounts of the shooter match the person in the video that authorities are seeking.
Officials say they have recovered evidence but are not confirming whether the weapon used was a long gun. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said conflicting witness accounts have surfaced, but those details do not advance the investigation.
“We are not in a position to say whether this was a long gun or not,” Neronha said. “There are multiple accounts about multiple things.”
The shooting happened Saturday inside Brown’s engineering building. The campus community remains on edge as the search for the shooter drags on.
Authorities on Wednesday afternoon released enhanced, clearer photos of a person they say was spotted near the person of interest in the mass shooting. The new, clearer photo shows the individual wearing glasses walking down the street.
Police didn’t share any additional details on the second person whom they are looking to speak with.
Officials on Wednesday also said that of the nine students injured in the attack, one person remains in critical condition.
Five people who had been listed in critical but stable condition are still in the hospital but are making progress in their recovery and are no longer considered to be critically wounded. Three people who were hospitalized in the shooting are at home with their families, officials said.
Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Uzbekistan, were killed when a man walked inside the engineering building and opened fire.
Earlier this week, investigators released a video timeline and a slightly clearer image of the person of interest. The video, from more than an hour before the attack, shows the suspect walking and running at times in a quiet residential area a few blocks from the engineering building, including near Hope, Benevolent, and Manning streets.
Some clips show the person walking in front of some properties several times. In one, the person abruptly turns around and runs in the other direction when someone approaches.
In photos and videos previously made public, the person of interest’s face was masked or turned away, and authorities were only able to describe him as having a stocky build and about 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Authorities now say the individual may have been scouting the neighborhood as early as 10:30 a.m. on the day of the attack.
“Focus on the body movements—the way the person moves their arms, their posture, how they carry their weight," Perez previously said. “This individual was in that neighborhood around 10:30 in the morning. We also know criminals will case the area weeks or days prior.”
Police are urging anyone with video or photos to upload them to an online folder at ProvidenceRI.gov/tips.
Investigators also warned against sharing AI-generated images of the person of interest circulating online, calling them harmful to the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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